First to Die

Officer John Milledge's formal police portrait taken in 1944.

Born on May 6, 1898, in Bamberg, South Carolina. In 1925, John, 27, married Edna Johnson, 17, of Denmark and the couple moved to Miami. He was involved in Civil Defense activities in the black community during World War II which led to his being named one of the five original black officers sworn into the Miami Police Department on September 1, 1944.

On November 1, 1946, he became the first black officer in the history of Dade County to be killed when he was shot from a .22 caliber rifle. His killer, Leroy Strachan, was arrested 43 years later.

November 1, 1946
Officer Milledge had chased several youths away from the Overtown Park when he caught them trying to climb over the fence to watch a high school football game. The suspects went to one of the boy's home, retrieved a .22 caliber rifle, and returned to the scene. They saw Officer Milledge standing by the entrance and one of the boys shot him in the throat, killing him. The suspect fled to New York City and remained at large for 43 years. He was arrested in 1989 and served 19 months in pre-trial confinement and was then freed, and died on December 24, 2008. Justice served, huh? No.

John Milledge's name is inscribed (East Wall, Panel 36, Line 16) on the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Officer Milledge was survived by his wife and is buried in Capernaum Cemetery, Denmark, Bamberg County, South Carolina.

Source: State Archives of Florida